Twelve CCSD student athletes have been honored as Regional winners and two as State winners by Positive Athlete Georgia!

More than 3,000 students are nominated annually by coaches, principals, athletic directors, teachers and parents. Awards are presented for specific sports and regions, with a top award presented to one male and one female student for the entire state.

CCSD’s two student athletes who won both Regional and State awards are Sean Witmer of Cherokee High School for Boys Cross Country and Matthew Lane of Etowah High School for Boys Basketball.

CCSD’s Regional winners are: from Cherokee High School, Morgan Feltham, a rodeo champion, for Girls Alternative; from Creekview High School, Natalie Allen for Girls Swim & Dive, Sophie Baker for Softball and Cameron Hough for Manager; from Etowah High School, Victoria "Tori" Ridgeway for Multi-Sport; from River Ridge High School, Bella Caputo for Gymnastics, Matt McMahon for Boys Tennis; from Sequoyah High School, Maddy Roman for Cheerleading, Carsen Van Note for Boys Lacrosse; from Woodstock High School, Ashlyn Welsh for Girls Lacrosse.

Positive Athlete Georgia, a subsidiary of Celebrate Positive LLC, promotes the benefits of positivity to young athletes around the world. Hines Ward, a former Forest Park High School, University of Georgia and Pittsburgh Steelers football star, formed Positive Athlete with local businessman Scott Pederson.

In addition to excellence on the field, Positive Athletes must show characteristics such as an optimistic attitude, teammate encouragement, servant leadership, heart for others, ability to admit imperfections, giving 100 percent all the time, and realizing the team as more important than the individual.

The honorees will be recognized by the Cherokee County School Board and Superintendent of Schools at the School Board’s May 16 meeting.